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NEW YORK, United States - A historic UN ocean treaty has almost finally been agreed at the United Nations Two decades of negotiations. The text will now be technically edited and translated before being formally adopted at another meeting. This treaty is a monumental win for marine conservation and an important sign that multilateralism still works in an increasingly divided world.
The agreement of this contract keeps the 30×30 goal – Protect 30% of the world's oceans by 2030 - lively. It offers a way to create fully or highly protected areas in the world's oceans. The text still has shortcomings and governments need to ensure that the treaty is implemented effectively and fairly in order for it to be considered a truly ambitious treaty.
DR. Laura Meller, Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace Nordic, said from New York:
“This is a historic day for conservation and a sign that in a divided world, conservation of nature and people can triumph over geopolitics. We commend countries for seeking compromise, putting aside differences and forging a treaty that enables us to protect the oceans, build our resilience to climate change, and protect the lives and livelihoods of billions of people.
“We can now finally move from talking to making real changes at sea. Countries must formally adopt the treaty and ratify it as soon as possible to put it into effect, and then provide the fully protected marine sanctuaries our planet needs. The clock is still ticking to deliver 30×30. We have half a decade left and we cannot be complacent.”
The High Ambition Coalition, which includes the EU, US and UK, and China, were key players in brokering the deal. In the last few days of talks, both have shown themselves willing to compromise and formed coalitions instead of sowing divisions. Small Island States have shown leadership throughout the process and the G77 have pioneered to ensure that the treaty can be put into practice in a fair and equitable manner.
The fair sharing of monetary benefits from marine genetic resources was a key sticking point. This was only clarified on the last day of negotiations. The treaty's marine protected areas section does away with the fractured consensus-based decision-making that has failed to protect the oceans through existing regional bodies like the Antarctic Ocean Commission. While the text still contains important issues, it is a workable treaty that provides a starting point for protecting 30% of the world's oceans.
The 30×30 target agreed at COP15 on biodiversity would not be achievable without this historic treaty. It is critical that countries urgently ratify this treaty and begin work to create vast, fully protected marine protected areas covering 2030% of the oceans by 30.
Now the hard work of ratifying and protecting the oceans begins. We must build on this momentum to counter new threats such as deep-sea mining and focus on taking protective measures. Over 5,5 million people have signed a Greenpeace petition calling for a strong treaty. This is a win for all of them.
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Photos: Greenpeace
